Let me say
I’ll take no more rest days
Let me break down
Reacquaint myself with scabbed knees
The busted knuckles and bloody teeth
Of my sharp-edged youth
Let me fall apart
Indulge in turning circles
A mind dizzy and heat-stroked
Running alien mathematics
Let me say
I’m done with dozing
Let me overthrow
The weights around my wrists
Flip the tables where
I’ve nodded off mid-word
Let me push back
The lazy ooze of good-enoughs
Shot through with hesitation
Fear of saying what I mean
Let me say
Today I work
Let me do it for good reason
Burnt up from lighting fires
Under this tired old ass
Turning circles into spirals
Let me feel the hurts
Cracking shins against deadlines
Dying of something better
Than overstaying my welcome
I’ll take no more rest days
I’m done with dozing
Today I work
(“Work Ethic” cross-posted to Tumblr)